Review: Once upon a broken heart series by Stephanie Garber

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This post is all about the Once Upon A Broken Heart Series. 

Hellooooo my darling, I am so glad you are here. For today’s post I will be sharing with you all things about the Once Upon A Broken Heart Series.

This series is one of the best Stephanie Garber books I have read since Caraval. I will be sharing with you the Once Upon A Broken Heart series order, the Once Upon A Broken Heart series summary (with no spoilers!), the Once Upon A Broken Heart series age rating, and of course my individual review of each book within the series by Stephanie Garber. 

Feel free to jump ahead using the table of contents below. 

Once Upon A Broken Heart Series Order

This fantasy romance book series by Stephanie Garber is a trilogy and here are the books in order. 

Once Upon A Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

Book Summary: For as long as she can remember, Evangeline Fox has believed in true love and happy endings… until she learns that the love of her life will marry another.

Desperate to stop the wedding and to heal her wounded heart, Evangeline strikes a deal with the charismatic but wicked Prince of Hearts. In exchange for his help, he asks for three kisses, to be given at the time and place of his choosing.

But after Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that bargaining with an immortal is a dangerous game—and that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’d pledged. He has plans for Evangeline, plans that will either end in the greatest happily ever after or the most exquisite tragedy…

The Ballad Of Never After by Stephanie Garber

Book Summary: After Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, betrays her, Evangeline Fox swears she’ll never trust him again. Now that she’s discovered her own magic, Evangeline believes she can use it to restore the chance at happily ever after that Jacks stole away.

But when a new terrifying curse is revealed, Evangeline finds herself entering into a tenuous partnership with the Prince of Hearts again. Only this time, the rules have changed. Jacks isn’t the only force Evangeline needs to be wary of. In fact, he might be the only one she can trust, despite her desire to despise him.

Instead of a love spell wreaking havoc on Evangeline’s life, a murderous spell has been cast. To break it, Evangeline and Jacks will have to do battle with old friends, new foes, and a magic that plays with heads and hearts. Evangeline has always trusted her heart, but this time she’s not sure she can…

A Curse For True Love by Stephanie Garber

Book Summary: Evangeline Fox ventured to the Magnificent North in search of her happy ending, and it seems as if she has it. She’s married to a handsome prince and lives in a legendary castle. But Evangeline has no idea of the devastating price she’s paid for this fairytale. She doesn’t know what she has lost, and her husband is determined to make sure she never finds out . . . but first he must kill Jacks, the Prince of Hearts.

Blood will be shed, hearts will be stolen, and true love will be put to the test in A Curse for True Love, the breathlessly anticipated conclusion to the Once Upon A Broken Heart trilogy.

Once Upon A Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

Book Review + Rating

The first book within the series, Once Upon A Broken Heart I found to be too slow paced. The Once Upon A Broken Heart series by Stephanie Garber is a slow burn romance with fantastical elements. 

As you’ve read from the Once Upon A Broken Heart series summary, our female main character Evangeline Fox wanted to save her first love from marrying another as she believed him to be bewitched. Evangaline visited the church of The Prince of Hearts, which we know to be the male main character and love interest Jacks, to seek his help in stopping this wedding. 

However in a very Fate like manner her prayer was answered in a way she did not expect to happen. In Once Upon A Broken Heart the passion and romance between Jacks and Evangeline is a ticking time bomb of possibilities, what ifs, pain and grief. 

It’s so much harder to fall for Jacks in this book because of how he is portrayed. He is this handsome immortal fate with a devil-may-care attitude that captures our interest when we first meet him, however his actions throughout the book make our love for him teeter between the faint line of love and hate. This teetering is what makes it such an addictive read!

Once Upon A Broken Heart set a good foundation for the rest of the series, however it was unintriguing in itself. I found that the book seemed to drag out for a while. There are a multitude of pages, however much of what happened could’ve been summed in a short novella. 

However, after having finished the series I found that Once Upon A Broken Heart is fundamental in setting up the story for the remainder of the books within the Once Upon A Broken Heart Series by Stephanie Garber. 

I would give this book a solid 3 ⭐ star rating because it was indeed enjoyable, I just found it to be too slow paced with not enough intriguing dialogue. I recommend this book to avid romance readers and to readers who are new to romantic fantasy books. This is also a great young adult fantasy romance book with zero spice and plenty of good plot points. 

The Ballad Of Never After by Stephanie Garber

Character Reviews

Read my honest review and summary of the characters within The Ballad Of Never After by Stephanie Garber.

Evangeline Fox – Female Main Character + Love Interest

I found Evangeline to have been a really charming and progressive FMC. She is a hopeless romantic and dreamer and I feel as though many will identify with her. Her thought process and the way she copes with dangerous situations is also admirable. 

I loved how throughout The Ballad Of Never After by Stephanie Garber, she has never lost hope and always strived to do what she felt she had to do. She is a quite strong female heroine, she has been heartbroken, nearly killed, shattered and put back together again, and yet she never wavers or gives up.

She’s really personal in her grief, and you can feel her emotions as we listen to her thoughts. I found Evangeline to be really inspiring in The Ballad of Never After by Stephani Garber. 

Jacks – Male Main Character + Love Interest

The nickname Little Fox Jacks gives Evangeline, who is the Prince of Hearts, is so cuuute! I literally loved the whole dynamic between them and Jacks is honestly wickedly hot. I love how he is honest about how “bad” of a person he is throughout the book, he doesn’t fake or pretend he is something he is not. 

I even find myself falling for him, even when he constantly tells Evangeline that he is not human and does not live by human morals. Falling for him and then getting broken by him is a constant pain. I had to keep my distance, but I read on with intrigue. The way Jacks is written is honestly flawless, 

I really love how we as the reader goes through what his endless lovers do, falling for him then getting heartbroken, only to fall for him again… 

Best Book Quotes

I love how unserious Jacks is, he always has something up his sleeve, and a clever way to avoid answering Evangelines’ questions. I’m falling for Jacks wickedness for sure. 😄

I feel as though the way the characters are written are so much akin to how people actually are. Each character is not black or white good or evil, but rather a range in between. They have many vices but they hold certain virtues that almost make you think they are good. I find that I was trying constantly to see if Jacks or Chaos was actually bad or good. But now, just like Evangeline I’m not quite sure. They hold some human traits but they also have their cruel Fate traits that are at a constant war within them. 

Why does Jack’s eat all those apples? This has been one of the biggest mysteries thus far and I would really like to know what these apples do to him. Earlier in the book when Evangeline asked about it he told her she wouldn’t want to know. I definitely want to know now!! 

This is what I mean that it hurts to love Jacks, I really want to like him but then he goes and does something like this. The constant betrayal woven through this book is gut wrenching, especially when you like the characters. Jacks disappoint me time and time again, but it is my own fault, I nor Evangeline heeded his warnings to not make him something he is not. 

You and me both Evangeline, you and me both. That’s just the hopeless romantic in me, I REALLY want there to be a love story between them. Maybe I should give up on it, but my heart won’t let me. 🥺

OMG! 😊🥰

Take my heart Jacks. 🥰

🥰🥰🥰

Wow, just wow! How true this feels.

Book Review + Rating

I find that this book is much more slow paced compared to books that I am used to. A lot of what happens feels as though it has been dragged on. The FMC, Evangeline Fox is a loveable and fierce character. The first third of the book is set up where a lot of what is going on is from what she assumes is happening, there isn’t too much dialogue like I am used to. I find that we are in her head more often for the first third of the book. 

I really loved the lore and stories that were interwoven throughout the book. It made the book so much more interesting especially since the story curse causes many of the stories of The Magnificent North to change and be forgotten. It’s an interesting plot line that I haven’t seen done so well before. 

I also found certain parts of this book anticlimactic. For example when Evangeline found one of the stones, from the way it was written it almost seems as if she didn’t. Many supposedly climactic events were written in such a way that it seemed not very important earlier on, but this changes as the story unfolds. More and more unexpected plot twists truly transformed this book into a joy and wonder to read.

I found that the book became more enjoyable to me when I stopped expecting everything to happen at once or quickly. When I made the decision to just read the book leisurely and to enjoy each scene no matter how small, that’s when I truly discovered the beauty of the book. I am so used to fast paced fantasy romance books that slow paced romance books almost make me want to rip my eyes out. I found that the Once Upon A Broken Heart series redeemed itself in the middle and latter half of The Ballad Of Never After.

Also when I read the dedication for The Ballad Of Never After by Stephanie Garber my heart did a somersault. 

“For anyone who has ever feared they won’t find true love.” 

Like, come on, that is such a heartwarming dedication! As soon as I read it I expected a happy ending. As I read I kept looking for signs on how the book would end and which of the love interests whether it was Apollo, Jacks (my hope), or Luc Evangeline would end up with. Part of me loved for Apollo to win because I would love to see their love unfold. But, the hardcore enemies to lovers part of me really needed Jacks to be the one. Luc was honestly just there, a remnant of her past. 😂

The ending of the book was exceptional and beautifully written. Ironically I feel as though the ending was more fast paced compared to the rest of the book. The ending was painful, it was a happy ending for none but one of the characters, Apollo. And even then, can he live with what he did? I really hope that A Curse For True Love ends happily, my heart needs it.

However the romance between Evangeline and Jacks has been such a severe slow burn, that I’m not quite sure how my heart hasn’t fully shattered yet. I was beyond surprised at what was within the Valory Arch, and all I can say is that I miss Jacks, and I need him to do what he does best. 

On another note, we don’t find out why Jacks eats all those apples in this book. Hopefully in A Curse Of True Love of the Once Upon A Broken Heart series would explain this particular mystery. 

I would give this book a 3.5/5 ⭐. I found that it was too much of a slow paced book for the first half of the book. I found that some parts dragged on a bit in the beginning, however the true magic and wonder of this book began in the middle. It was a leisurely read that I looked forward to picking up time and time again. 

I would recommend this book to readers who like a slow burn romance and who are patient readers. You’ll need it for both Once Upon A Broken Heart and The Ballad Of Never After this 3 part series by Stephanie Garber. 

A Curse For True Love by Stephanie Garber

Character Reviews

Apollo Acadian – 2nd Love Interest 

We first met the Prince of Valorfel in The Ballad Of Never After by Stephanie Garber, and he was utterly romantic then. He was a true prince charming, even though he was bewitched and cursed multiple times. Nonetheless he was a loveable character in The Ballad Of Never After. 

However, much more of his character is developed and revealed in A Curse For True Love by Stephanie Garber. I found that Apollo was really wounded from all that he had been through, and he was making an effort to try to be normal after having survived everything, however it came across as aggressive and possessive. 

He wished to make a name for himself, but that truly led to his downfall. He could have continued to be a fan favorite if he hadn’t gone down the path that he did, but he just became another Tamlin in a sea of them. 😂

Best Book Quotes

I may not like Apollo, but this quote soothed just the spot. 🥰

Say less, I’m already hooked.

Book Review + Rating

Going into The Curse For True Love by Stephanie Garber I already loved the fact that there was a love triangle between Evangeline, Jacks, and Apollo. It undeniably felt as though it was an impossible choice of either honoring your childhood dream (getting prince charming) or choosing your desired fantasy (the wicked villain who fell harder). 

The entire Once Upon A Broken Heart series was built on the back of a slow burn romance, but somewhere along A Ballad Of Never After the teasing romance between Jacks and Evangeline turned into such a fiery passion that it even rivaled the Phoenix Tree. 

At first it was SO hard to trust Jacks as a potential love interest because of how heartbreaking he was in Caraval. The constant reminders on his end to not hold him to human standards, and then blatantly ignoring that as a hopeless romantic, and falling for him only to be burned by him was one of the most painful parts of the Once Upon A Broken Heart series. Seeing the story unfold partly from Jacks point of view in A Curse For True Love by Stephanie Garber helped kindle the desire that their love story would be a magical one, and it surely was.

Apollo was made up to be the ideal prince charming of Evangeline’s story in A Ballad Of Never After. However, Apollo being cursed 3 times took a toll on him and it was honestly really humorous by the third book. He had the most horrible luck and nothing seemed to go his way. However his obsession with Evangeline Fox came back to bite him for sure.

Additionally, I really wished Evangeline would have listened to her intuition more, it would’ve saved her from a helluva lot of trouble. 😂

For the pacing of the book, I found it to be a lot better compared to the earlier books within the Once Upon A Broken Heart series, and I found that I greatly enjoyed it. It felt enjoyable as each scene unfolded and new mysteries were discovered. I greatly enjoyed reading this book in the moment. Something was always happening that I found greatly intriguing. 

I also really adored the multiple point of views of Evangeline, Apollo, and Jacks in this book. The multiple POVs added more depth and interest to the plot and it made a lasting impression on me. Stephanie Garber humanized each character as we learned the reasoning behind some of their heinous acts that appeared horrible without any context. 

My favorite point of view had to be Jacks which were quite short and sparse, but it unveiled more parts to his mystery. I loved how we got a little peek into how he was feeling and how he reacted to certain situations. The more I learned about Jacks the more I was beginning to feel that all that he’s been doing has really been for others, to keep them protected from….him. He felt as though he couldn’t have a chance at happiness because he no longer deserved it, but that human part of him no matter how small, desired it fiercely. And as we all know, when Jacks wants something he will go to the ends of the earth to get it. And all he wanted was Evangeline. 

Now, let’s talk about Apollo’s point of view. The more I read his POV, the more I realized that he was just hurt and confused and trying his best at being “normal”, and trying to get back to what once was. I felt in the beginning all that he was trying to do was create a legacy for himself no matter if it’s good or bad, as long as his people REMEMBERED him. His experiences took a toll on him and we begin to see that throughout the book. 

I really quite enjoyed Evangeline’s POV for the final book in the series. Before, her scenes were too dragged out and much of what happened was explained by her reasoning, rather than through dialogue. However in this book, I found that Evangeline redeemed herself. I really liked the process she went through to get the love of her life back. It was satisfying to see her growth as a character and see her win after sacrificing so much.

It was also really heartwarming for her to get her happy ending, after all, she too is a hopeless romantic. She gives hope to the rest of us. 😂

The writing style of this book is so much more enjoyable and pleasant than the first book which I found way too slow and dragged out. I felt as though a lot of the scenes were written expertly in this book and that each scene had me thoroughly intrigued. I didn’t feel as though the book dragged on for certain scenes but rather felt that it was well paced. 

The characters were again, written with so much similarity to how people actually are. They weren’t entirely good nor entirely bad, but just people that made bad choices with good intentions. It much reminds me of the old saying of “The road to hell is littered with good intentions”. I felt that ringing true with Apollo and his choices throughout the book and even in the ending of The Ballad Of Never After by Stephanie Garber. 

There is a lot of depth and history written into each character that makes you want to uncover each and every aspect of their person. This felt especially true for Jacks and the events that lead him to becoming a Fate which we discovered in this book. 

Unfortunately, we still don’t know why the hell Jacks eats all those apples. In a very Jacks like manner, he cleverly avoided answering Evangeline’s question when she asked him about it at the end. However we do know that after Evangeline he doesn’t need them anymore.

Let the theorists speculate! 😂⚔️

The Valors were also a pleasant and consistent presence throughout the book. Their mystery was a great plot twist in book two, however they don’t overpower the current plot in this book. I found that they were included enough to add intrigue to the plot without fully turning the book away from Jacks and Evangeline. They were intriguing and interesting, I would definitely love a sequel starring the great Valor family.

Overall I would give A Curse For True Love by Stephanie Garber a solid 4/5⭐ stars. Everything about this book I truly and genuinely loved and thoroughly enjoyed. This was a clean romance book with scenes that would make anyone blush, even avid dark romance readers.

I truly understand why this is a hardcore fan favorite. Everything about this book and series was expertly written with a lot of character development that made you truly connect to each character. 

I would definitely recommend this book to all romantasy lovers and especially to readers who want to dip their hands into a really good young adult fantasy romance series. 

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WIth all this said and done, I would entirely recommend the Once Upon A Broken Heart Series by Stephanie Garber. It was a wonderful and enjoyable read with plenty of romance, fantasy and intriguing plotlines with unexpected twists. It would be an enjoyable fantasy romance series for both young adults and adult romance readers. 

This post was all about the Once Upon A Broken Heart Series.